When Leo arrived, an unmarked police van was parked a few houses down from Tiffany’s home. The agents, looking up from their binoculars, told Leo that the blinds at the house were tightly closed when they arrived. This meant that Wakeling probably could not see what was going on outside, but also that they could not see inside. Tersely, Leo told them what he wanted to do. With few other options, they quickly agreed to his plan.
Two officers positioned themselves at the back door. Charlotte made her way to the porch, flanked by two officers to her left, and Leo and another to her right. She was wearing a bulletproof vest beneath her blue coat.
Leo had given Charlotte a firm command: her only role was to knock on the door and then run to the end of the block, where Alex and more police were waiting.
Charlotte knocked on the door.
Leo’s heart jumped at the sound of Laurie’s voice inside. “Thanks for coming, Jane. This should be quick. There’s not much left on my part to do,” she called out through the door as Leo heard locks tumbling.
There’s not much left on my part to do. The phrasing sounded strange from Laurie’s lips. Leo knew his daughter. Laurie was trying to find a way to convey vital information.
There’s not much left on my part to do.
Left. My part. My left. She was telling him that the threat was positioned to her left. The hinges of the door were to her right.
He then signaled that the other officers should watch what was the right side of the door frame from their perspective, where they would have the best angle.
It happened quickly.
The second the door moved, one of the officers pulled Charlotte to the side and she began to run. Leo kicked the door open the rest of the way and swerved to his right, away from the door frame. Laurie ducked low and lunged out, shots whistling over her head as Leo yanked her to the side. Tiffany screamed and dove to the floor.
The shots occurred almost instantaneously. The investigation later revealed that eight shots in all were fired by police—four from each of the two officers on the opposite side of the door. Two additional shots in Laurie’s direction had been fired from Wakeling’s pistol.
Both officers gave identical versions of what they had seen from their vantage point. Tom Wakeling had been standing to Laurie’s left side as she opened the door. Once she leapt outside, he had swung toward the open door and aimed at Laurie.
They had no choice. Tom Wakeling was dead, but their gunfire had saved Laurie’s life.